Yakari Drabbles
by Jillie062
Summary: Hikari felt as Yamato dropped his arm down, reaching into his pocket. A small box appeared in his hand and he held it in front of her to see. Yakari Drabble 26: Zenith
1. Air

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 01: Air_

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He could recall the exact moment when _it_ had happened. At first he blamed the accursed symptoms on anything and everything but the disease. The sensual warmth that rushed into his cheeks when she walked into the room—it had to have been the lighting in the house; he always thought that family had too many damn lamps. The soft pang of disappointment when she was out with friends—he had grown accustomed to her sitting diagonally across from him when he invaded their house at supper time, she was disrupting routine, nothing more. The random thoughts about her that made a smile sneak onto his otherwise concrete features—he saw her almost daily, of course she'd be on his mind just as her brother and his brother tended to be.

Then there was that rapid increase in his heartbeat when she smiled at him; so simple a gesture required no such response. He found no fault of which he could blame, not unless he counted how he had a tendency to hold his breath while she was speaking, an act that elicited a threatening pound from within his chest for the want of air.

So Yamato had no choice but to admit to himself that it had happened to him. He had fallen in love and there was no more denying it.

His first thought was to ignore it. Hell, he had forced himself to _have feelings_ for Sora long after his initial attraction to her had faded and all he had was the _desire_ to feel something towards her. That hadn't worked out, however, and it had nearly ruined their friendship completely. He wouldn't react and eventually he could make himself lose those feelings towards her.

A small voice in his head ordered Yamato to scream it for all to hear in the middle of a crowded sidewalk downtown, but reason quickly doused that idea. He knew he wasn't supposed to fall for her, not for his best friend's younger sister.

Not for his younger brother's girlfriend.

So Yamato waited until he got home and instead of shouting it to the world he shouted it into his pillow. He couldn't express his feelings, perhaps, but that wasn't about to stop him from having them. Maybe Hikari was out of reach, even for him, but he didn't want to just let go.

She was the air that slowed the violent thumping of his wretched heart, even if she was the reason his breath was withheld and his body ached for more.

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I'm going to try to do this alphabetically rather than randomly. It's the same idea as the original. I needed to put something up, didn't I?


	2. Bad Boys

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o2: Bad Boys_

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Koushiro knew quite a bit about many things, but his expertise when it came to love was less copious than, say, quantum physics or brain surgery. He knew that when a girl liked a boy she was supposed to flirt and tease said boy. He knew that when a boy liked a girl he was supposed to pull her ponytail and chase her around with worms so that she wouldn't get the wrong impression.

But boys stopped doing that when they finished elementary school. Besides, fishing worms out of the dirt, as appropriate as it would have been when he was ten or eleven, had never been an activity he wanted to partake in. He needed the advice of someone who knew how to act around women—he needed someone with a lot of skill in the area. He did, after all, fall head over heels in love with a girl who was, to put it simply, _way_ out of his league. She only knew that Koushiro existed because they'd fought a myriad of evil digimon attempting to slaughter everything in existence.

To give him credit, Koushiro did manage to figure out the first step. He walked straight up to Mimi and, holding note cards so he wouldn't forget what he was doing, told her, with mild stutters and stalling, how he felt.

Yamato had been enlisted to help Koushiro maintain his first relationship. On one occasion they watched a few of Mimi's favorite movies, trying to familiarize Koushiro with what Mimi considered worthwhile. It was after ten hours of kissing scenes and outlandish proclamations of love, of sorrow and regret, of loss and finding, Yamato came up with a very uplifting hypothesis.

Good girls fell for bad boys.

Sandy fell for Danny in _Grease_; Baby fell for Johnny Castle in _Dirty Dancing_; that chick in _Crybaby_ fell for Crybaby. He couldn't really remember any more, but he was sure that it was enough to support his theory.

Yamato was a rebel, a misunderstood musician, a careless heartbreaker with a leather jacket—he definitely fit the bad boy profile.

And who could play the part of good girl better than Hikari?

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Koushiro had invited himself over one Saturday afternoon to help Yamato with his newest dilemma: he wanted to buy Mimi flowers.

He couldn't get wild flowers because they weren't expensive enough.

Carnations would be tacky.

Mimi hated violets.

Roses were too cliché.

"You should have gone to Sora about this one," Yamato grumbled, booting up his laptop to research the meanings of different flowers, "she does work at a flower shop."

Koushiro shrugged and sat down on Yamato's bed, feeling foolish for not researching this himself. "I figured you would know what to get."

"How often do I buy girls flowers?" he snapped back.

The creak of the front door invaded the awkward silence that had settled between the two. Yamato stood to investigate; it was far too early for his father to be home.

When he reached the living room he found Takeru, with his arms wrapped tightly around Hikari's middle, standing in the foyer. Hikari tilted her head back at Takeru who leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss.

Yamato swallowed the thickness in his throat before coughing obnoxiously. "What are you doing here?"

Hikari pulled away, embarrassed. "Hi Yamato," she greeted pleasantly, cheeks flushed with a slight blush.

"Mom crashed the computer so she sent me here to use Dad's. Hikari and I have a research project to complete." Takeru laced his fingers with Hikari's and led her passed Yamato and towards his father's study. She offered Yamato a small smile as she walked by, making Yamato's heartbeat double.

Then again, there were a lot of stories about the good girl and the nice guy.

So much for Yamato's theory.

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So there's some Koumi to go with this. Harrah for Koumi I suppose.

My best friend and I made our boyfriends watch _Grease_ and _Dirty Dancing_ with us recently, so I thought I'd put it in. Ah, those bad boys are appealing, aren't they?


	3. Cold

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o3: Cold_

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Yamato didn't know how he got himself into these things.

…Actually, he did.

And he blamed Taichi.

Taichi had invited Yamato to stay over for dinner a few Fridays ago. They ordered a pizza, well two, technically, since Taichi had one himself, to be shared between himself and the two Yagami siblings.

There wouldn't have been a problem at all—if Taichi hadn't decided to scarf down his entire pizza and take a shower before Yamato had finished his second piece.

Leaving Yamato alone.

With Hikari.

He tried to concentrate on his food, hoping she would finish her second piece and return to her room without a word to him. But Hikari insisted on starting a conversation with him. He knew it wasn't because she actually _wanted_ to talk to him, Yamato was sure; she was only trying to be polite.

The conversation was forced and awkward at best. Yamato answered her questions with one-word answers, never looking her in the eyes. He made sure not to risk a glance—if he did he was sure he'd never look away again.

Hikari tried all sorts of topics to get him to open up; college, music, hockey, Taichi's inability to play the proper host, their favorite kind of pizza—

And then she mentioned Takeru.

Takeru's birthday was coming up and Hikari really wanted to get him tickets to a concert. The only problem was she had no one to go with her; her parents were working, Taichi had a class, and if she took Miyako or Daisuke then Takeru would end up _pretending_ to be surprised.

Before Yamato knew what he was saying, he agreed to go with her.

And that's where he was now, standing in a ridiculously long line in the bitter cold while waiting for the chance to get the damn tickets.

If he hadn't offered to take her then he wouldn't be in this mess—he wouldn't be standing beside her, risking sideways glances just to watch her standing there with her cheeks flushed a pretty rose color from the cold.

But if Taichi hadn't been an asshole and left him during dinner, the topic wouldn't have come up. Both he and Hikari would have spent the duration of their meals listening to Taichi babble about football or the last movie he saw or how much he hated college.

Hikari shivered and rubbed her hands together. "I really wish Takeru had been born in June rather than February; that way we'd be standing in sunshine and not freezing out here."

Yamato took a long look at the line that extended down the street and around the corner, surveying for faces he recognized. "Takeru's lucky you care so much," he replied dully, masking the bitterness that threatened to ride through his voice.

Hikari shivered again and remained quiet.

Sighing softly Yamato grabbed onto Hikari, gently pulling her closer to him.

"Yamato—!" she began.

"It's cold," he said, wrapping his arms around her and embracing her tightly.

He'd hate himself for this later, for torturing himself so. Here was the girl of his dreams, wrapped comfortably in his arms to protect her from the violent winds, and as soon as they made it to the ticket box, as soon as she had the tickets for her _boyfriend,_ he would have to let her go.

And maybe never again be able to embrace her.

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Everyone is probably wondering when I'm going to actually put Hikari and Yamato together. Well, it'll happen after F, I think, maybe a little later.

D is done, it's titled drunk and I got the idea yesterday so I wrote it first. I do need an idea for E, though, 'cause my only idea so far kind of sucks.

For future reference, side couples will not be consistent—If there are any at all. Also, after I do the 26 for the alphabet I won't be going in any sort of order. The first 26 sorta correlate. The rest, not so much.


	4. Drunk

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o4: Drunk_

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Hikari found herself outside Yamato's apartment one cool evening in the spring, hand raised to knock, biting her lower lip in delicate contemplation. She'd decided to come over to visit him after leaving Takeru's; something the younger blonde had said made Hikari wonder if Yamato was alright. It hadn't been anything particularly important, not enough to recall exactly what had been said, but Hikari had resolved to drop by before the night was through just to check up on him.

Now she wasn't so sure.

It wasn't that she was afraid of Yamato—not by any means, really; it was just that he seemed so annoyed when she was around him. Hikari frowned as she thought of all the times he had turned from her when her only offense was a simple smile, or all the times she tried to start up a conversation with him that he would only answer with single words. She wasn't afraid of him, nor intimidated as she had been as a child; no, she was more disheartened by his coldness to her than anything.

Still, she was concerned about him, and she was already standing outside his apartment. With a burst of confidence, Hikari knocked upon the door.

She heard a thud from the other side a moment later, followed by a stream of what she imagined to be curse words, as Yamato stumbled to answer the door.

"Whadda want?"

Right away she noticed the heavy scent of alcohol on his breath. He clung to the doorframe, towering over her, breathing heavily.

"You're drunk!" she gasped, shocked and disappointed all at once.

"Nah, I've only 'ad a bittle to drink," he countered, pinching his fingers together to indicate the amount. Without his hand on the wood to support him, Yamato fell forward into Hikari.

She squeaked in response to his weight falling on top of her. She stumbled back into the hallway before finding her balance and steadying Yamato as best she could. "Come on, let's get inside."

Hikari managed to pull Yamato back into his apartment and settled him onto the couch.

"Do you want some?" he offered, gesturing to the liquor bottle on the coffee table. "'Cause I'm not dun yet and drinkin' alone bits."

"No thank you," she answered sharply.

"You ought to," he replied lazily, "I'm only drinking 'cause of you."

"Me?"

"Yea, you. I wouldn' havta drink if you didn't make me so crazy. But no, you are with, God, what's his name? The tall blonde kid, you know who I mean? Yep, you're wit him and I can't tell you dat I lub you."

Hikari opened her mouth to argue but Yamato had already turned away from her, fiddling with the hem of his shirt and humming the tune "Grandma Got Run-Over by a Reindeer" under his breath.

"You know," he spoke finally; "You take my breath away every time you look at me." He leaned in slightly, drawing his hands up around her face and placing his palms on her cheeks so she wouldn't turn away. "I want it back."

Before she could even decipher what he meant, what he was implying, Yamato had already pressed his lips to hers. She froze, eyes wide with surprise, at a total loss for what to do.

Yamato pulled away after a moment, a small, goofy smile plastered on his face.

Then he passed out on Hikari's lap.

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Never in his life had Yamato awoken to such a pounding in his temples—a steady, agonizing throb that made him want to stab himself just so he'd be distract by a less painful problem.

"I thought you might need some aspirin."

Yamato winced at the unexpected sound, turning his head to find Hikari sitting cross-legged on the coffee table, holding a bottle of water and four Advil in her outstretched hand. He sat up, slowly, for movement only increased the pain he felt, and graciously accepted the drink and pills.

"What are you doing here?" he mumbled.

"I came over last night, Don't you remember?"

Yamato shook his head, but stopped quickly for the pain was too much to bear. "No. So what did you want?"

Hikari sighed softly, drawing her thighs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knee. "I didn't _want _anything," she answered sharply. "I came over here to check up on you and you were totally trashed."

Yamato remained still, unwilling to risk acknowledging what she said with a nod and not wanting to speak. He was worried that he'd acted like a complete idiot, being unable to remember what had happened made him uneasy.

"Your father came home at midnight. I'd already taken care of the alcohol and I told him that you had a fever and I didn't want to leave you alone. He let me sleep in your room, I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's fine."

There was a long silence between them as Yamato massaged his temples and Hikari sat waiting for…something.

"Hikari?"

She looked up, staring hard into his ocean blue eyes, wondering why now he was staring straight back at her. "Y-yea?"

"I didn't," he paused, trying to figure out what he wanted to say, "I didn't do anything—stupid, did I?"

Biting her lower lip, Hikari shook her head. "You didn't make much sense," she replied.

Yamato looked away, knowing she was lying. She only bit her lip when she was being dishonest. "Whatever I did do, I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything, really," she stated firmly, letting her feet drop to the carpet. "I'd better get home; you probably want to sleep a while longer anyway."

She took his silence as an affirmative reply and showed herself to the door. Yamato lay back down, resting his hands over his forehead. Racking his brain for some memory of the previous night, Yamato's hand moved to trace his lips.

"Oh God!" he hissed, sitting straight up, "I kissed her!"

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So I don't know if I made Yamato believable as a drunk. I'm not sure how drunk people act or speak; I've only had one situation where I've actually interacted with a _really_ drunk person. She was hilarious for a while…then she started vomiting…not so much fun anymore. Anyway, I hope he was okay.

Empty? It's beautiful! As soon as I read that, the perfect scenario popped into my head (or, at least I liked it). Thanks a bunch, DG. I was going to do Energy but I didn't have an actual idea for it.

Happy Christmas everyone!


	5. Empty

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o5: Empty_

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Yamato had, on more than one occasion, prayed to whichever god willing to listen that he be struck down by a bolt of lightening just so he could escape the situation at hand. He had entertained the idea of a disgruntled soul with a shotgun taking his anger out on Yamato's chest cavity. He'd wondered at times how sturdy the walls surrounding him were, and when they would decide to topple over and crush him beneath the drywall.

This was one such occasion.

Actually, it was worse—Yamato was toying with the concept of taking matters into his own hands rather than await a tragic fate.

Hiroaki had gone on a business trip that required Yamato to be on his own for a few days. Perhaps because it was the holidays, Hiroaki felt bad leaving his son alone—although it was more likely that he simply did not want Yamato to have the apartment to himself for three days and nights when he and his friends had a break from school.

Natsuko quickly volunteered to house Yamato for the few days her ex-husband was out of town. She'd gone so far as to make a fancy dinner for her sons to enjoy _together,_ rented a movie for her boys to watch _together,_ and set up the extra mattress in Takeru's bedroom so her children could bunk _together._

Sadly, neither son could agree to a night indoors with their sibling. Yamato went out the first night, spending half the evening, and a good portion of the morning, at band rehearsal and collapsed on the couch when he got in. Takeru was with Hikari the second night, before spending the night at Daisuke's.

For the third and final night Natsuko forbid her sons from leaving the apartment, not particularly sensitive to the fact that they both had plans already. She finally got to have her dinner, although reheated and half as good. The three watched the movie she had selected for them, even if it was now overdue and the late fees were ridiculous. She ushered Yamato off to bed after he planted himself on the couch in his pajamas.

"I hope you're happy," Yamato grumbled as he tossed his body on the mattress on the floor.

"Happy? I had to tell Hikari that she couldn't come over tonight because I had to entertain my bitter, callous brother. She could be over right now, but no, you are."

"She worked until 10:30 tonight; your mom wouldn't allow her to come over that late."

"Actually," Takeru snapped, irritated, "_Our_ mother likes Hikari more than she likes me. She doesn't mind Hikari coming over late. In fact, she has a room set up for Hikari in case she can't get home for whatever reason…and how would you know when she's working?"

"I practically live at Taichi's; I should be there now. I know both their schedules pretty well."

Takeru seemed satisfied, feeling a little guilty for the sudden rush of suspicion towards Yamato and for snapping at him. Yamato did, after all, have the worse of the two parents—the one that was never home. He did spend more time at the Yagami's to avoid being alone so much.

Reaching over to the bedside table, Takeru turned off the lamp. He settled back onto the bad and pulled the covers up to his chin. "Have you ever been in love, Yamato?" he inquired quietly, unsure of even why he was asking Yamato of all people.

Yamato cringed, hoping that his mother owned a gun—she was crazy enough to use it on him.

"No."

"Never? What about Sora? You seemed to really like her for a while."

"Why are you asking me this?" Yamato demanded, grateful that there wasn't any light and he didn't have to look at his brother. He didn't want to see in Takeru's eyes that he knew about Yamato's love for Hikari.

"I don't know, I guess it's because of Hikari. I just…I really like Hikari—really, _really_ like Hikari. I love her, I think, but…sometimes I worry she doesn't like me as much as I like her."

"She already got your birthday present," Yamato recalled.

"She just makes me feel so complete, I'm filled with this feeling I can't even describe whenever I think about her. It has to be love."

"Go to sleep Takeru. You're talking to the wrong person." Yamato listened for a moment as his brother shifted around the get comfortable.

Maybe Takeru felt complete, filled, whatever he'd said, but Yamato just felt empty.

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Okay, not as good as I was hoping for, but I liked the idea of forcing Yamato to camp over Takeru's. Anyway, F is planned out and should be written up by Thursday. If anyone wants to suggest anything, I'm open to proposals. Even if it's a letter I've already used, 27-100 can be whatever.

Oh, and Yamato and Hikari won't be together until M. I changed what I'm doing for F, sorry folks.

Revenge of the Kaiser's next chapter will be up sometime today.

My boyfriend got me this totally adorable penguin for Christmas and I named him Yamato!! (In case you wanted to know.)


	6. Fear

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o6: Fear_

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She sat perfectly still, save for the idle tapping of her pencil against her notebook, listening to the gentle hum of the computer monitor. Sighing lightly, she straightened, setting the graphite tip to the paper and beginning a furious scribble of facts based on the Second World War.

She looked up to the screen to read more information on America's part in the war. Her eyes were drawn to movement above the monitor and her gaze fell upon a small black spider as it rode its web downwards. She watched, paralyzed, as it hung in midair for a moment before dropping down onto the screen.

Hikari pushed backwards away from her desk, knocking the computer chair to the ground as she stood. "Taichi!" she shouted, voice cracked and fearful. "Taichi!"

The rhythmic sound of running water entered Hikari's senses. She groaned, biting her lip—Taichi was in the shower.

Her eyes remained glued to the creature as she backed away, arm outstretched to feel for the door handle. Her fingers found the cool metal and she pulled at the door, turning to rush out.

Except she met with a solid figure rather than freedom.

Hikari snuck a glance back into the room, shuddered, and buried her face into Yamato's shirt.

"What's the problem?" he whispered into her hair, his arms moving on their own accord, wrapping themselves around her.

"There's—there's a," Hikari shook head, unable to identify the terrifying arachnid. She gestured back towards the room, letting Yamato see for himself.

Yamato saw the outline of a tiny, insignificant, little spider resting on the screen of the Yagami computer. "That?" he questioned doubtfully; "You're freaking out over that little spider?"

"Yes!" Hikari moved, pulling them both out of the doorway and into the hall. "I have to go," she whispered suddenly, freeing herself from Yamato's grasp.

"I'll take care of it," he replied, trying to ignore the humor in her fear.

"I still have to go," Hikari insisted. "Tell Taichi I went to Daisuke's and I'll be back later." She rushed into her room, disappearing for a brief second and returning with her keys and purse.

"Seriously, I'll get rid of it now," Yamato countered, daring to stare into her eyes.

It was Hikari who looked away first. "Get rid of it," she said, taking care to study her keys, "but—don't kill it."

She didn't wait for an answer, favoring instead the option of turning and bolting out the front entrance. She sighed, leaning against the door for a moment as she tried to gather her senses.

She didn't dare try to guess what had made her so afraid; that _thing_ that had invaded her computer room—or the strange feeling that invaded her senses when Yamato had embraced her.

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I hope I'm not the only one with a mild case of arachnophobia.


	7. Great

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o7: Great_

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"Yamato, will you be staying for dinner?"

"Uh—,"

"Of course he is, Mom. When's the last time Yamato hasn't stayed for dinner on a Friday night?"

"I can go," Yamato replied coolly, removing his feet from the coffee table and letting them sink it the carpet.

"Don't be ridiculous, Yamato," Yuuko responded, ruffling his hair affectionately. "You are always welcome here."

"Where's your sister?" Susumu asked from the kitchen.

"Computer?" Taichi guessed. "Hikari! Dinner!"

"I'll be just a moment!" Hikari shouted in reply.

"Well, no reason not to start without her," Taichi replied instantly, standing from the couch and jumping over Yamato's legs. "I'm starved."

"When aren't you?" Yamato took a second to fix his hair before raising himself and following Taichi into the kitchen.

"You know, I'm really surprised 'Kari is even in the computer room, what with the whole "spider incident" and all," Yuuko commented softly, setting her poorly prepared chicken on the table.

Taichi elbowed Yamato before reaching for the dinner rolls.

"She's never gotten freaked out enough to _leave_ the apartment. I blame Yamato."

A loud scream danced down the hallway and twirled over the table, startling all the observers.

Hikari ran into the kitchen, grabbing onto the wall to keep from sliding across the tile. She straightened, opened her mouth to speak, but remained silent. Raising her hands near her face, she gestured that she had something to say. "I…I—I"

"Have Touretts?" Taichi offered.

Hikari let her arms drop, and glared at Taichi. "I'm going to New York!"

"For treatment?"

"Tai, shut up. Why are you going to New York, Honey?" Susumu questioned.

"Well, I've been thinking a lot about what I want to do after senior year, and I decided that I wanted to go into dance so I can someday be an instructor. So I told Koushiro about it and he helped me make a video to send in to colleges. I sent one to New York and they liked it enough that they're paying to bring me there for an audition!"

"Wow," Taichi murmured. "Does that mean you aren't getting treatment any time soon?"

Yuuko slapped Taichi upside the head. "I'm so proud of you, Hikari. When do they want you to go?"

"February," Hikari answered, meeting her mother in a hug. "Isn't this the _greatest _thing _ever_?"

"I guess Mom and Dad will have to buy me a ticket so I can look after you," Taichi decided.

"No," both parents answered in unison.

Yamato heard voices continuing on after that, but they were little more than a rush of sounds blowing passed him. Hikari was going to New York. The school she applied to liked her enough to bring her there to see personally.

New York was a long way away.

A very long way away.

He didn't like it at all.

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This drabble (which is actually sort of a drabble!) felt a little off. And I didn't have any good title to go with this.

Okay, everyone make sure to bitch at the website so they give us our damn e-mails!

And I'm sad; I've only gotten one review for Revenge of the Kaiser.


	8. Hero

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o8: Hero_

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Hikari frantically dug through her purse, fingers scraping against everything except what she was searching for. She pushed aside her hairbrush and lip gloss, continuing downwards until she grazed the fabric at the bottom. From there she rummaged left, then right, then—.

"Aha!" she spoke aloud, grasping her cell phone between her fingers and retrieving it from the mess. She hoisted the pink bag up to her shoulder and opened the phone, using her free hand to cover her opposite ear. "Hello?"

"Hey Babe."

Hikari rolled her eyes, dodging people as she moved from the entranceway and towards the bedroom. "Let me guess," she began, pausing to open the bedroom door, "you're going to be late?"

"Psychic powers acting up?"

"I can always tell when you're about to say something that's going to make you feel guilty. It's the _only _time you call me 'Babe.' What time will you be here, Takeru?"

"Probably not until after the countdown…"

"Takeru!"

"I'm sorry, it's just we left late and the guys stopped for food and the bus needed to stop at the gas station."

"It's fine—."

"Really?"

"Really. Listen, you can tell me how your game went and all your misadventures on the way home when you get here. I forgot to charge my cell phone."

"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Hikari listened as the line went dead, pausing a moment to bite her lip with irritation. She wasn't really upset with Takeru, it wasn't his fault that the basketball team had a game so far away on New Year's Eve, but she didn't want to spend the next few hours at the party without him.

Shaking her head, Hikari shut her phone and turned it off. She tossed it back among her belongings and zipped her purse up. She laid her purse and jacket on the bed amongst the others.

Exiting the room, Hikari immediately spotted her hostess. Mimi was leaning against a wall, one hand holding a wine glass, the other clasped between Koushiro's palms affectionately. Hikari smiled softly, admiring how cute they looked together despite the odd nature of the couple.

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Hikari spent the next three hours listening to Miyako talk about how amazing Ken looked, watching Ken try not to glance over at Miyako every five seconds, admiring how cute Koushiro and Mimi looked together, and mingling with various people she knew one way or another.

When Mimi announced the two minute warning before the countdown, Hikari couldn't hide her relief. She scanned the area quickly: Takeru was still no where to be seen.

"You look like you're having fun."

Hikari stiffened upon hearing the deep, masculine voice behind her. "Yamato? What are you doing here?"

"Mimi invited me," he answered casually. "Taichi was being an ass so I ditched him and decided to check out the party. How is it?"

Hikari swallowed thickly. She suddenly felt awkward, like talking to Yamato was a rare occurrence. "Terrific," she muttered sarcastically. "And where did you leave Taichi?"

"Halfway into Sora's pan—at Sora's."

Hikari scrunched her nose up, disturbed. "I'm going to hope that you weren't going to say what I think you were going to say."

Yamato offered an apologetic smile. "Pansies, I was going to say. Sora's mom keeps a lot of flowers in the apartment. He couldn't resist."

"Ten!"

Yamato nearly jumped, surprised by the nearly unanimous cry from the people around him. "Will you excuse me a moment—I have to go to the bathroom." Yamato turned and darted away, remembering what happened at the end of the countdown. He had to get away or risk sweeping down and taking her lips prisoner with his own.

_Damn post countdown kiss._

Once he was a safe distance away, Yamato turned to look back at Hikari. He furrowed his brows in frustration, narrowing his eyes at the group of boys surrounding her, each wanting to be beside her when the countdown ended.

"Two…one!"

Cheers and shouts of well-wishes and Happy New Years explored within the apartment. All around Yamato people wrapped their arms around each other and met in long, sweet kisses.

A boy grabbed onto Hikari's shoulders and leaned in towards her.

Hikari held her hand up cover her face and the boy kissed her palm, enticing a laugh from the boys around them. "Good job Shichiro," one mocked.

The boy, Shichiro, laughed along. "Come on, it's all in good fun," he said to Hikari, pulling her hand down. "It's just a little kiss; you know, to celebrate the New Year."

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to pass." Hikari pulled away, pushing through the group around her and heading towards the bedroom. She grabbed her coat and purse and exited the apartment.

Shichiro blew raven strands from his eyes. "This isn't over," he decided.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Hikari walked down the street in long, anxious strides. She pulled her jacket closer around her body, shivering against the unpleasant bite of the cold air.

"Hey!"

Hikari gasped, glancing over her shoulder to see Shichiro running down the sidewalk. She started running, getting almost no where in her heels.

Catching up to Hikari, Shichiro slammed into her, knocking her into an alleyway. She yelped as he grabbed onto her, catching the fabric of her clothing in his fists and forcing her against the brick wall.

"All I asked for was one little kiss. It's no big deal."

"If it's no big deal than why did you come after me?" she demanded, voice shaky.

"Shut up," Shichiro growled, grabbing onto Hikari's hair and pulling her head back, using his body to keep her pressed against the wall. Hikari tried to scream, but he dulled the noise with his lips.

Hikari struck back, lifting her knee and hitting him with all the force she could muster. He instantly fell backwards, grabbing between his legs as he landed on the ground. "Bitch," he growled, staggering forward with his arms protecting a delicate area.

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Yamato scanned the area for Hikari. He'd been dragged away by some girl who'd started gushing about his band the moment she saw him. The girl had only let him get away when he agreed to give her an autograph.

He spotted Miyako, leaning on the counter, hands clasped together by her cheeks, an adoring expression directed towards Ken. "Hey, Miyako!"

Miyako straightened, drawing her hands down immediately. "Yamato?"

"Have you seen Hikari?"

Miyako's expression darkened slightly. "I'm fine, Yamato. It's nice to see you, too. Hikari? Oh yes, she left a few minutes ago. I think she got fed up waiting for Takeru."

Yamato nodded and headed towards the door. "Thanks," he called over his shoulder.

Shivering against the cold, Yamato hurried down the street. He spotted Hikari stumbling onto the sidewalk from the alley, arms rushing forward to break her fall as she landed on the ground. She kicked her foot out, pushing back—someone—as she tried to get on her feet again.

Yamato broke into a run, hopping over the curb as he raced to her. "Hikari!"

Hikari looked up, distracting her from her attacker. He rammed into her, knocking Hikari to the ground once more.

Yamato's chest pounded as he ran ever faster to reach Hikari. He recognized the guy, some jerk who would have graduated with Yamato if he hadn't dropped out—Shichiro.

Reaching them, Yamato grabbed onto Shichiro coat, pulling him away from Hikari. He hurled Shichiro to the wall of the building, using his forearm to restrict Shichiro's breathing. Yamato punched him, causing him to drop to the ground.

"Get out of here," Yamato hissed, afraid he might kill the miserable bastard if he didn't get out of his sight.

Shichiro fought to regain his balance, wiping the blood from his face before darting away.

Yamato eyed Shichiro as he disappeared into the shadows, releasing a heavy breath as he turned towards Hikari.

"You alright?"

Nodding softly, Hikari threw herself into Yamato. "Thank you," she whispered, shutting her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. "I don't know…what might have happened if you hadn't—."

"Shh," Yamato interrupted, stroking her hair tenderly. "Let's get you home."

Hikari wrapped her arm around Yamato's waist, leaning against him. Draping his arm around her shoulder, Yamato led her forward.

"Yamato," Hikari hummed, stopping. She raised herself up and kissed his cheek. "You're my hero."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

I didn't want to make Hikari totally helpless, like most people portray her, but she did need to have a little help from Yamato or the entire prompt would have been lost. I definitely think Hikari is a stronger character than most people like to think she is.

I tried to get this out _before_ the New Year started, but I didn't have time to finish. Happy New Year everyone!

I saw Eragon with my friend a few days ago. It's inspired me to work on Adeliea and something that I've been working on, that isn't posted yet. I don't know when I want to put the prologue up, so I guess we'll see.


	9. Icing

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt o9: Icing _

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Yamato tapped his fingers against the desk, shooting a dark glare towards the clock. He willed time to pass more quickly, and yet, time seemed to want to crawl at a deliberately painful and leaden pace. He heaved a heavy sigh, returning his gaze to his sensei at the front of the room.

Usually this was a class that Yamato never wanted to end. It was an elective course on Japanese and Chinese Mythology, the only non-music related class he was taking now that he was an upperclassman. The class offered a welcome escape from the music freaks in his other classes—the ones who either adored or despised him for his success with _The Wolves_. They met twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, from three until five.

Reaching into his pocket, Yamato pulled out his cell phone for the ninth time. He flipped it open in his lap, careful that no one else could see the electronic device. Searching through the menu, Yamato accessed his text messages, and opened the most recent message, the one from Hikari.

He read over the message a few more times: _Hey Yamato, could you give me a call after class? Thanks, Hikari._

He had no idea why she wanted to talk to him, no excuse to get so impatient when there was nothing urgent about her words. Still, he found himself counting down the minutes until the class ended.

After an eternity (twelve more minutes, to those in the class who weren't Yamato), the sensei dismissed his students. Yamato packed up his notebook, ignoring the blank page where the day's notes were meant to be, and rushed out of the room.

He suddenly felt very foolish, standing out on the snow glazed sidewalk, scuffing patterns into the snow with his sneaker as he held his notebook under his arm and traced the numbers for Hikari's cell phone with his thumb. His stomach fluttered irritably, excitement and apprehension taking flight inside of him.

With an inaudible sigh Yamato let curiosity get the better of him and he dialed in the number.

He was certain that he was going to be sent to her voicemail when he heard a sound on the other line. "Hello?" he heard after another moment.

"Hey, Hikari, it's Yamato. You wanted to talk to me?"

"Yeah, I did. I was wondering actually, not to impose on you or anything, if you already have plans than it's no big deal—."

"I'm free," Yamato blurted out a little too quickly, and a little too loudly. He cleared his throat, forcing himself to cough. "I don't have plans," he added firmly.

"Well, do you remember how Taichi has been studying forever for that big physics exam?"

Yamato nodded, scrunching his nose up at the memory of all the hours he spent trying to help Taichi study. Yamato could have taken that test and done fairly well on it he helped so much. "Of course I remember," he acknowledged.

"The test grade came in the mail yesterday and Taichi received a ninety-three percent. I wanted to make him a cake, a little childish, I know, but the last time Taichi had cake my mom put in maple syrup instead of vegetable oil. I can't really ask her to help me and you were the first person I thought of."

"When do you want me over?"

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"What are you doing?"

Hikari looked up, shaking her head slightly to dislodge her bangs from her face. "The recipe says that we need three eggs; I'm cracking the first one."

"Using the mixing bowl?"

"Um, yeah?" Hikari answered softly, pulling the egg away from the rim of the mixing bowl uncertainly. "Should I not?"

"Were you going to open the egg up right over the mixture?"

"Yes…um, no, maybe?"

Yamato shook his head, amused. Digging through the cupboard he found a small dish and handed it over to Hikari. "If that egg was bad, and it ended up in the mix, we'd have to chuck all of it."

"How do you know this?" Hikari asked, breaking the egg open in the miniature bowl. She examined the contents carefully, deciding that her egg was perfectly fine.

"Experience," he answered dully.

"I think it's ready to go in the oven," Hikari spoke after a few minutes. "Is it ready?"

"Yeah," Yamato answered, taking the bowl from her and pouring it into a baking pan. He found the oven mitts and put the soon-to-be cake into the oven. "Now we wait."

"I'll never understand why Taichi likes frosting so much," Hikari spoke softly, opening the jar and giving it a disgusted look.

"You don't like the icing?" Yamato gaped, leaning over her shoulder to examine what disgusted her so. "Are you crazy?"

Hikari turned up towards him, feigning offence. "Crazy? I can't believe you'd even suggest that! I'm the sane one in the family!"

Yamato smirked, waving his hand dismissively. "And that's really saying much."

"Fine," Hikari answered, dipping her finger in the icing and digging out a clump. "I guess I'm crazy then."

Yamato couldn't even react before the frosting was spread across his cheek. His mouth dropped open in amusement and shock. "It's so on!" he growled.

"Hikari slipped around Yamato, backing away slowly. "Let's talk about this," she pleaded, raising her hands in surrender.

Yamato grabbed the container and scooped a healthy portion onto his palm. "Nah," he replied as he approached her.

Hikari backed away until the small of her back scrapped against the counter. Yamato grinned devilishly, closing her in. Hikari yelped as Yamato brought the icing towards her, smacking his hand away and causing the icing to be flung onto the floor.

She covered her mouth with her hand, trying desperately not to laugh. Yamato tilted his head, looking from the mess on the floor to Hikari and back again. "Nice job."

"Truce?" Hikari suggested, offering her hand to shake.

"Not a chance," Yamato replied, taking her hand and pulling her forward. He leaned in, rubbing his cheek against her forehead, smearing the icing on her.

"Yamato—!" Hikari began, before the ring of a phone interrupted her. Hikari looked up at Yamato, "That's me."

Yamato let go of her, stepping back as Hikari went over to her purse on the table. She rifled through her belongings before pulling out her cell phone. Looking at the front, Hikari put it down on top of her purse, letting it continue to ring.

"Who is it?" Yamato inquired, walking over to her.

Hikari bit her lower lip, hesitating. "Takeru," she answered finally.

"You aren't going to answer it?" he pressed, surprised that she was going to ignore it.

Hikari shook her head and threw her phone into her purse. Her eyes scanned the floor tiles as she pulled the bag over her shoulder. "I doubt that we have enough icing anymore—what with how much Taichi consumes. I should probably get more."

"Okay. I'll keep an eye on the cake."

"Thanks. I'll be back soon."

Yamato watched as Hikari slipped on her shoes, noticing how uncomfortable she suddenly was. He frowned, unsure of what he had done. He waited until Hikari had left before sitting down, letting his head drop down on the table.

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Okay, the ending was bad. Sorry 'bout that, but I wanted to finish before I had to leave.

Our Winterguard performances started last Saturday. I have one tonight, as do the other four guards that we control. (And yes, I said _control_ because our director is aiming to monopolize colorguard and take over our lives.) Anyway, I've just kissed away free Saturdays until April, some Fridays and Sundays, and, of course, no sign of freedom on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays for a long while. No one around here gave a damn about colorguard until we brought them the World Champion title, and I doubt they'll give a damn if this year doesn't go as well.

I'm done with my rant; I'll see everyone soon with an update of some sort. Oh, and for those of you who have this on alert, did you get the alert? I've gotten 40-some e-mails in the past week, so I think I have all of them.


	10. Jagged

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 1o: Jagged _

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It was a tradition long before they'd become a couple: Every Monday Hikari went home with Takeru. They watched movies, ordered pizza, did their homework, and just enjoyed each other's company. They were known to make slight altercations to the plan, like during basketball season when Takeru had practice and Hikari went over a six, or when Hikari got a job and went over there for an hour after school, so they could work on homework, and they she came back after work for a few hours if she didn't have too much work to finish. Recently, however, Hikari had been _detained;_ whether it was a project with Miyako or she was scheduled to work early, she just wasn't around as often.

But Hikari didn't have an excuse today and she had gone to Takeru's. She'd been over for half an hour, looking at but not really watching the television. Takeru fidgeted uncomfortably, hating the strange silence that settled around them.

Hikari bit her lip, wrapping a few strands of light brown hair around her fingers.

"What's wrong?" Takeru asked, watching as Hikari's teeth scraped over the breadth of her lower lip. He knew that as a sign that she wasn't happy. He also knew that she only played with her hair when she was _really_ stressed out.

Letting her hand drop, Hikari reached for her book bag. She pulled it closer, opening it and pulling out a modest sized box with blue wrapping paper and a gold bow. "I wanted to give this to you early," she stated dully, putting it into his lap. "It's your birthday present."

"Alright," he answered uncertainly, letting his fingers trail along the edge of the box before beginning to pick at the tape. He set the blue paper on the coffee table, waiting a few seconds to open the box. "Oh, wow," he gaped, taking out the concert tickets. "This is…wow…I mean…wow. Thank you."

He leaned in, intending to kiss her, but Hikari turned her head away from him, biting her lip.

Takeru leaned back against the couch, sighing. "That's never a good sign."

"I wanted to give you the tickets before you…hated me."

"What? Hikari, I could never hate you!"

Takeru tried to take her hands into his own, but she retreated back further. "I, Kami, I hate to do this, but I can't stand lying to you. Takeru," Hikari stopped, blinking rapidly, "I'm so sorry," she continued, voice a delicate whisper.

"What is it," Takeru pressed.

"We can't see each other anymore," she finally managed.

Takeru stiffened. "Are you breaking up with me?"

Hikari only managed a nod, guilt driving tears to the backs of her eyes.

It was almost like a small hand had reached through him, grabbing at his heart and ripping it out of his chest. He could almost see the vicious scene: his poor heart lying in front of him, being stomped on, gnawed at, torn into tiny, _jagged_ little pieces. "But…why?"

"I love you Takeru, but I'm not in love with you anymore. I haven't been for a while and I can't pretend. I didn't want to hurt you by deceiving you, leading you on. I just hope that I haven't lost you completely."

Takeru remained silent, uncomfortable.

"I should go," Hikari mumbled, grabbing her book bag. "I'm sorry."

Takeru remained silent.

He watched her leave; watched her try to regain her composure as she wandered through the living room and into the foyer. He watched her glance back at him, sadly, bothered by how she was leaving things.

And still Takeru remained silent.

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Wanna know something kind cool? Anger is a crazy effective motivator. Seriously, if I weren't so pissed off I wouldn't be venting out my frustrations on the keyboard, and this update wouldn't be here for a few more days (I do have practice and three hours of homework tonight (that I don't plan on finishing)). I won't bore you with the details of why stupid piss me off, but let's hope (for the sake of my ever-dwindling sanity) that I have enough free time to write and try to release my anger.

And another thing: I hope everyone realizes that one day men will be totally obsolete and women will keep a handful of them underground only to surface when their sperm is needed. All the rest will die horribly painful deaths (but they'll be to further science and keep women alive longer). Methinks that men should be grateful that they are still around and stop being such PRICKS. –Ok, I feel a little better already. Hopefully I haven't totally offended anyone.


	11. Know

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 11: Know_

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Taichi fell backwards, landing heavily on his mattress. He sighed, extending his legs out straight, kicking about for a moment before settling down. Growling dejectedly, he rubbed his temples with the heels of his palms, moving in large, rough circles.

"What are you having a tantrum about?" Yamato asked coolly, a curious glint in his eyes.

"Hikari," he grumbled in response. "I mean I _am_ her older brother after all; you would think that she would talk to me."

Shrugging in confusion, Yamato sank down into a chair. "You've lost me already."

"Every time Hikari sees me she bites her lip and turns away. As if that isn't the most obvious sign."

"Sign about what—?"

"I figured out something was wrong easily enough, but I wouldn't really _know_ anything if Mom hadn't overheard Hikari talking to Miyako over the phone about it."

"You didn't know what?" Yamato demanded, nearly shouting.

"Hikari broke up with Takeru!" Taichi explained. "And she hasn't said a word to me about it!"

Blinking rapidly, Yamato tried to keep the look of utter confusion off his face. "When did this happen?"

"Few days ago, I—wait, I think she's home."

Sure enough the boys heard the faint sound of the front door shutting. Taichi jumped off his bed, bolting towards the door and leaning his head out into the hallway.

"Uh, hi Taichi," Hikari spoke upon entering the corridor, eyeing him suspiciously. She bit her lip and walked by him, her focus set on her feet.

"Did you see that?" Taichi demanded when Hikari had entered her room. "The biting of the lip says it all!"

Rolling his eyes, Yamato pushed Taichi aside. "Shut up, Tai."

Yamato stomped down the hall, stopping in Hikari's doorway. "Why haven't you said anything about breaking up with Takeru?"

"I don't want to talk about it," she answered softly, not bothering to look at him.

"Well I do."

"Why are you getting all upset? I'm the older brother that she isn't talking to!" Taichi said.

"Well…Takeru is my brother and I think I have a right to know what happened."

"Then talk to Takeru, I have to leave for work," Hikari stated simply, stuffing her work clothes into her book bag.

Whining loudly, Taichi collapsed dramatically against the door frame. "I still know nothing! I'm calling Miyako!"

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Okay, so I really had nothing to use as a prompt that would work at this point in the 'story line.' Drabble K screams 'Kiss,' but it would have been inappropriate so I couldn't do it. I don't like this one, though.

Looking back at my last rant, I probably overreacted by saying ALL men are pricks. I'm not going to take it back, but I will apologize to those men out there who aren't pricks. I won't go into another rant, mainly because most people don't give a damn, and I don't want my rant to be longer than my drabble, but I did break up with the source of my anger. Let's just say I didn't like him enough to put up with his issues, I have enough of my own to deal with.

L: Love, Loser, Lust, Long, Lively, something else?


	12. Love

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 12: Love_

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It was with quite a bit of reluctance that Yuuko gave her son his very own key to the apartment. She rather liked being able to control his access to the apartment so that he didn't get any ideas about missing curfew or sneaking out late at night. But by the time Taichi entered high school he really did need his own key, so Yuuko had one made. She also had one made for Yamato because he practically lived there too. (Hikari already had one of her own.)

Yamato avoided using the key for the most part; since seventy percent of his time was spent with Taichi, there was little need for him to use it on his own. But it was not unknown for Yamato to enter on his own accord.

Today was one of these days; Yamato was feeling far too anxious to stand around waiting for Taichi to enter. He let himself in, shutting the door hastily and kicking off his shoes, making his way to Taichi's room.

Taichi was sitting on his bed with a book abandoned on his pillow and a blank expression on his face. He looked up, feeling Yamato's presence. "Hey—."

"Taichi, I want to date Hikari."

Taichi paused, calmly staring Yamato in the eyes. "I was hoping you would never get the nerve to ask me."

"Wait, you know?"

"Of course I know; I'm not that stupid. I see the way you avoid looking at her unless you think she won't look back, and the way you get all cold and moody when she's around. And don't think I don't notice the way you tried to act like you didn't care when she and Takeru were together."

Yamato blinked rapidly, speechless.

"And I won't allow it."

Regaining his ability to function, Yamato frowned softly. "I wasn't asking you for your permission, I was only informing you that I want to date her."

"And I'm informing you that it isn't going to happen. I know you too well Yamato; you're just lonely and you think that Hikari will make you happy because Takeru was always so happy with her. You don't really love her, if anything it's lust."

"How can you sit there and tell me how I feel?" Yamato demanded. "You're a God damn idiot, Taichi!"

"And you're a pathetic loser. I guess we're even then."

"I'm going to ask her out whether you like it or not."

"And she's going to turn you down. She'd never date someone I didn't approve of."

Yamato held his breath, nearly shouting. "How can you make that decision for her?"

"Because I know you're going to hurt her—just like you hurt Sora!"

"That's not fair, Tai," he replied quietly.

"Life's not fair, Yamato."

Yamato glared back at Taichi, retreating backwards out of the room. He turned, letting his head drop and exited the apartment.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Our first regional—Richmond, Virginia—wasted my entire weekend. I brought a notebook to write this chapter, but it was pretty difficult to get anything accomplished on the trip.

I am so over my anger towards guys. I'm actually talking to this guy right now (we went out on a date last night and saw The Messengers). Actually, I'm having a real issue with talking to him and not just staring and drooling at him/on him. Which is really surprising because I'm not like that at all. Anyway, I was out with him and that's why this update wasn't yesterday.

So this was Love, Lust, Loser, Lonely, and Life. But Love got the title.

This idea for a Takari popped into my head recently and just hasn't left me alone. If I get some free time I'm going to type up the first chapter, but I might wait until I finish Revenge of the Kaiser.


	13. Mask

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 13: Mask_

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As a child Yamato had never been a fan of playing make-believe. He didn't like the idea of pretending life was some grand illusion, that it was better than it truly was. Of course he sucked it up and played with Takeru; a small child could be completely oblivious to his parents shouting in the next room if he was busying chasing down criminals and saving lives.

As he grew older he realized that even though he hated the child's game of make-believe, he still played pretend every day of his life. He had a mask that covered his true self, like a shield that protected him from danger.

He was playing pretend when he let Yuuko convince him to stay for dinner even though he and Taichi were fighting. There was an unhappy stare between the two, but neither would end the game and confess to the people around them that they were arguing. Yamato wondered if everyone didn't play this game as he did.

"Taichi, will you tell you sister that dinner has started without her?" Susumu tiredly asked.

"No need, I'm here," Hikari replied cheerily, kissing her father's cheek as she passed him.

"You're in a good mood," Taichi muttered between gulps of water.

"Takeru's talking to me again," she answered quickly. "He's even coming to the airport tomorrow before I leave!"

"So when are you and he getting back together then?"

Hikari frowned, sinking into her chair with less energy then she had had but a moment before. "Tai, we aren't going to get back together."

"Why not?" Taichi demanded suddenly. "He was great for you—fantastic even. How can you just break it off after all the time you've been dating without trying to work things out?"

"Please Tai; I don't want to talk about this now. Can't you just be happy that he's speaking to me again?"

"Whatever."

Yamato shook his head, dislodging the hair from his eyes. He sighed, wanting so badly to speak up, to say what he was feeling.

And yet, he couldn't let go of his mask.

He couldn't end the game that he was playing.

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Hehe, it's been a while, hasn't it? Guard has been all sorts of crazy as of late, what with extended practices and regionals—at least there's only about six weeks left. (April 16th I get to try to have a life, finally!) Anyway, the free time I've had has been spent with my new boyfriend, who's totally amazing. He's the one I went out with and had the issue with wondering whether or not I'm drooling :) Also, I've been accepted to both University at Buffalo and Geneseo, the two colleges that I applied to, and now I have to decide which I want to go to. Not easy, very stressful.

I am aware that this one was blah and a half. The one I had planned for M (Moon) didn't fit into the story line so I had to throw this one in.

So Hikari's finally about to leave for New York; I wonder if Yamato's going to say something before she goes. Actually, I don't wonder, I know. Next up is 'Now'.


	14. Now

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 14: Now_

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It seemed like forever since so many of them had gotten together in one place. Aside from Jyou, the entire group was clumped in the tiny airport space, each there to give their goodbyes.

It seemed like forever since Yamato had felt so excluded. He leaned against the pillar just passed the end of the row of seats, arm folded across his chest, watching the people around him.

Sora was with the Yagamis, placing a comforting hand on Taichi's arm as he tried to convince Hikari to stay. Yamato watched as her face grew from amused to annoyed to exasperated while Taichi spilled out a myriad of reasons why New York was a bad idea.

Hikari managed to slip away when she heard the announcement that her plan was boarding, making her rounds to say goodbye. Miyako grabbed onto her, sobbing as she held Hikari and wished her luck. Daisuke was next, acting similarly to Taichi, insisting that she call every few hours and that she not talk to any "perverted American boys." Iori politely wished her a safe journey, to which Hikari laughed easily and hugged the younger teen. Ken then shook her hand and wished her luck. She paused for only a second, looking uncertainly at Takeru before drawing her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek.

"Thanks for coming," she whispered softly.

"Of course," he replied simply.

She turned away, finding Koushiro and immediately thanking him for all of his help.

"Yamato."

Yamato shut his eyes tiredly, not wanting to acknowledge his brother's voice. He turned slowly, eyes following the movement of the torn material on the toe of his left sneaker. Finally, he looked up, meeting Takeru's hard sky blue gaze.

Takeru fidgeted about, obviously uncomfortable, resting his weight on his right leg before shifting to the left. His fingers tapped against his thighs, creating some random rhythm, his entire expression was agitated and impatient. "Taichi called me," he finally spoke, letting his hands fall idle at his sides. "He said that I'd better find a way to get Hikari back before you made a move for her."

Takeru laughed without enthusiasm, making Yamato wince. "Takeru, I—."

"I'd being lying if I told you that I was ecstatic to find out that my brother has secretly liked the girl that I've been crazy about for ever now."

"I'm sorry, I just—."

"And believe me when I say that I would love to get Hikari back. Have her see me in the same light that she used to…"

"I didn't mean to—."

Takeru interrupted again, "Just promise me that she'll be happy with you."

Yamato froze, speechless. "What?" he managed to choke out, certain that he had heard wrong.

"All that matters is that she's happy. If you're the one that can do that, then I don't want to be responsible for standing in your way. It will just take some getting used to, I suppose."

"I don't know what to say," Yamato whispered.

"Well that makes two of us now," Takeru offered lightly.

Yamato nodded, silently thanking his brother. His attention turned to Hikari, who was quietly speaking with Mimi. He stepped forward.

_It's now or never._

He found his way to her, moving without directing his body, feeling dizzy and numb and foolish all at once.

Hikari smiled lightly, gazing up at him. "I was afraid you were going to stay in the corner and not say goodbye to me," she teased.

_Now or never._

"Hikari." Yamato paused, doubt shattering his confidence. "There's something I wanted to ask you about."

"Hika, you better get on the plane before they leave," Miyako warned.

Nodding in mild acknowledgement, Hikari kept her focus on Yamato. "I guess it can wait," he said, too afraid of rejection to ask.

"Oh, okay then," she answered, slightly dejected. "We'll talk when I get back then." She raised herself up, gently kissing the corner of his mouth. Blushing a light shade of pink, Hikari looked away. Grabbing her carry-on, she gave a final goodbye to the group before turning and heading towards the attendant.

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I've been having the hardest time getting myself to sit down and write anything as of late. It has a lot to do with the fact that guard is consuming almost all of my life, and as the time until it's finally over decreases, it just gets harder to deal with. And school's just been crazy and draining and frustrating, what with my class having no interest in helping out with things like prom and prime time (this thing after prom at our school; helps keep people from going out and getting drunk), but they still expect something magnificent. So I've been working with a few friends trying to get stuff done. And, I'll admit that what little free time I've been having has been spent with my boyfriend, at least when he's not being dumb. All this stress with everything has just made my depression worse and it makes me so fatigued and disinterested in most everything, it's been hard to get anything accomplished. But anyway, I think after Spring Break is over (we have colorguard EVERYDAY, so I don't actually get a spring break) I'll have more time to work on being less miserable and have more free time to relax and write.

Also, I think that after I reach chapter 26 I'll be putting this to the side and start focusing on a different Yakari fic. Maybe I'll get up another chapter for Too Young. Once Revenge of the Kaiser is done I'll get back to Adeliea, too.


	15. Open

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 15: Open_

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It had been a long week, and Patience had proven himself to be a nasty fellow, filling Yamato with an uneasy, fidgety feeling that poured through every inch of his being. It kept him lying awake at night, counting down the days, hours, minutes until Hikari returned.

The Yagamis were the only ones to have contact with Hikari, getting a phone call from her once a night despite Taichi's insistence that she call every hour. Yamato received very little information other than little things that Yuuko mentioned when he was around.

And then Patience decided to kick Yamato in the stomach.

An unexpected storm led to Hikari's flight being canceled and no one knew exactly how long it would be until she made it home.

It had only been a few hours since she'd not arrived home on time, but Yamato could have sworn it was much longer. He tried to take his mind away from everything, from his pitiful attempt to tell her how he felt, from the knotted feeling in his chest.

He tried playing his guitar to pass the time, but the notes fell flat upon his wrinkled comforter. Each time his fingers strummed over the strings he winced at how forced they sounded as they played into the stagnant air. It was harsh, uninviting, and reminded him of the sound his broken front door buzz made.

Wait, no, that _was_ his front door.

Yamato furrowed his brow in annoyance upon realization, irritated that someone had come to bother him. He set his guitar down on his bed and raised himself to his feet, starting for the door. It seemed further away than usual, or perhaps his pace was just a bit slower than it generally was.

He opened the door slowly, not interested in entertaining any company. His eyes fell on the intruder, causing them to widen with disbelief. "Hikari?"

"Hi," she replied cheerfully.

"Uh, hey, what's up? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I hope I'm not bothering you, but I managed to get the next available plane, and I wanted to stop in and see you before I went home and spent the next…" she paused, thinking, "three or so days being interrogated by Tai."

"Bothering me? No! Not at all, come on in." Yamato stepped aside, letting her pass before leaning into the hallway and setting it down beside the door. "I'm glad you decided to stop by."

Hikari smiled nervously, following Yamato to the couch and sitting down beside him. "Are you sure I'm not intruding? I can come back."

"Nah, I wasn't up to anything important. So tell me, how was New York?"

"It was wonderful," she began, smiling brightly. "There's so much going on there. My auditions went well and the school was just amazing. But, I don't know, it didn't feel much like home, I guess. I don't think I can see myself staying there an entire school year."

Silently, Yamato sighed with relief. "That's too bad," he lied.

"Yamato?" Hikari spoke, her tone more serious than it had been a moment before.

"Yeah?"

"Before I left you wanted to tell me something?"

"Oh, right, I suppose I did."

"Well," she prompted when he did not continue.

"It's just—and you can totally tell me no if you don't want to—and I don't want you to feel like you have to agree—but I was wondering if I could maybe um, that is—." Yamato sighed, scrunching up his nose. He couldn't remember the last time he had so much trouble making one coherent sentence.

"Yamato?"

He shook his head, determined to continue. "Like I said, no pressure. Feel free to just tell me no—."

"Um, Yamato?"

"Or maybe I should ask before you turn me down. Isn't that how it usually goes? Yes, I'm sure that's how it usually goes—."

Yamato fell silent as Hikari pressed her lips against his open mouth, all thoughts erased from his mind. "Takeru spoke to Sora, Sora spoke to Mimi, Mimi spoke to Koushiro, Koushiro spoke to Iori, Iori spoke to Daisuke, Daisuke spoke to Ken, Ken spoke to Miyako, and Miyako called my cell phone three minutes before the plane took off to tell me that you had planned on asking me out."

Blinking, Yamato tried to figure out how fast that had gotten around when it was only about ten minutes between when Hikari left the group and when the plane took off. He was truly in awe of the group's gossiping skills.

"And there I was tripping over my own words, and you already knew what I was going to ask you."

"I came here tonight so we could get everything out in the open right away."

"Oh?"

"I like you Yamato, but I think that we should take it slow. Taichi is not going to like this, and things are still—awkward—with Takeru."

Yamato nodded slightly, still taking everything in. "So where are we now?"

Hikari leaned in again, kissing him once more. "Call me tomorrow?" she asked softly, pulling away before he could react.

"I think I can handle that."

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Okay, so this was finished and ready to be posted Wednesday morning, at 2:30 because I stayed up to finish before I went to Dayton for World Championships. Unfortunately, the site was acting all sorts of ridiculous and would not let me post this. I was hoping to have all these reviews in my inbox when I got home to cheer me up after a long five days.

Anywho, we did well at competition; we made finals, which was our goal. We barely made it, but it was our first year in that class so we did quite well considering. So everyone be happy that I am DONE with guard. And besides, this is a happy installment, so woot.


	16. Patience

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 16: Patience _

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Hikari had woken with an uncharacteristic feeling of apprehension that, despite all of her efforts, she could not shake. She carried her cell phone with her into the kitchen when she went to make herself a bowl of cereal, glancing at it every few minutes, begging it to go off.

She set it on the counter by the sink when she hopped into the shower, straining her ears for any sign of it going off.

It was in her hand when she went to wake Taichi at noon, only to discover that he wasn't home.

At twelve-thirty she was officially annoyed by her own impatience, and sat down to work on her homework, but found it impossible to concentrate.

Feeling fidgety, Hikari decided to move around a little, and set to work unpacking her things and gathering up her dirty laundry. Her cell phone sat safely in her pocket, within a second's reach.

"If you would just call me, I'm sure I would calm down," she complained aloud, hating how she was so bothered by Yamato's negligence.

She took a minute to convince herself that Yamato was probably still asleep and would call her in a short while. She hadn't even given him a specific time to call her anyway, so she couldn't really blame him.

She'd never had this problem before, this feeling of impatience that drove away her rational thought so easily. She had never been particularly concerned if Takeru called her or not; if he slept late and forgot to get a hold of her it wasn't a big deal.

With Yamato it was driving her crazy.

Sighing softly, Hikari set her cell phone under her pillow and grabbed a book, determined to pass the time. She ignored the nagging feeling that insisted she check her phone, just in case for some strange reason she missed it going off.

"Hika?"

Hikari set her book facedown on her bed and sat up. She frowned at the annoyed expression on Tai's face. "What's up, Taichi?" she asked, concerned.

"I just wanted to let you know that even if I go to jail for the rest of my natural life, I will kill him if he hurts you. He's in the living room."

Hikari jumped up and threw her arms around Taichi. "Thank you for understanding," she chirped.

"Whatever," Taichi returned, crossing his arms over his chest as she left him standing in the entrance to her room.

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Right, so I'm sure everyone's excited to know what's been going down in my life. So I've been crazy depressed lately, partially because I'm always depressed and don't show it, but sometimes it's a little harder to act happy when I'm anything but, and partially because the guy I've been dating had been acting like a total ass. He'd been ignoring me and treating me like we were barely acquaintances. Anyway, last week I found out I might have an aneurism (I don't, I know now) and freaked myself out because I had to get a CT (cat) scan and I don't handle needles well at all. Guy-I've-Been-Dating chose that day to break up with me, giving me the shittiest reason EVER. His exact words were something along the lines of "I don't have the mind set that necessitates having a girlfriend". Bitch, please. So he broke up with me, and hasn't said a word to me since.

I was pretty upset for obvious reasons, and he was also supposed to be my prom date. Needless to say, he isn't anymore. But since the breakup I've had two guys I play RISK with at school offer to take me, a guy whose kinda scared of me ask me (I don't know why he is, but w/e), my ex-boyfriend from a few months ago ask me, and a friend of mine asked me. Friend-Of-Mine also got me a dozen red roses and made me feel all sorts of special :) Anywho, I'm going with that guy and let me tell you, I'm going to look good in my dress. I'm pretty critical of myself, seeing as my self-esteem is probably a negative number, but I think that I'm going to be looking good.

Anywho, I've taken enough space up with my stories, so I'll let you go.


	17. Questions

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 17: Questions_

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There were days when Yamato lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering what he was doing with his life. There were nights when he would whisper to the shadows, begging them to tell him his purpose in life.

Sometimes all he could do was sit and wonder why his life was as it was. Sit in the darkness and ask himself questions.

Why had his parents been so unhappy together?

Why did he allow himself to be so distant from Takeru?

Was he doomed to end up like his father? A work obsessed, relationship-handicapped, half ass father figure who couldn't make it home before midnight even on his son's birthday.

Was he actually going to amount to anything or was he just going to be another guitarist with a dream but no real talent?

Then Yamato's thoughts would drift to Hikari. He always wanted to ask her just what she saw in him that made her choose him when she could see anyone she wanted.

But Yamato never did ask; he was too concerned that Hikari wouldn't be able to come up with a good answer and decide to let him go.

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'Q' gave me problems, I didn't know what prompt to use, so you get something short and a little sulky.

So I found out that the guy who took me to prom has liked me for a while, but I'm still working on getting over that stupid guy who broke up with me. I'm so ready for college, it isn't even mildly humorous.

Oh, so I know this girl who has an account on here. She goes by Secret of the Sunset, and she's working on something that I think you guys should check out. Give it a try, and let me (or her) know what you think.


	18. Reason

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 18: Reason_

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"Well, hello, this is Hikari's voicemail. I'm sorry I've missed your phone call, but if you want to leave a message, I'll be sure to get back to you. Thanks!"

Yamato scrunched up his nose, debating whether or not he wanted to leave another message. "Um, yeah, hey Hikari. It's me, Yamato. Again. I guess you're still wherever you are. Call me when you get this. Thanks, bye."

"You're pathetic," Takeru mentioned softly, taking a long sip from his cup of coffee. "Maybe you should leave a fifth message. In case the first four don't give her the indication that you want her to call."

"Shut up," Yamato growled, stuffing the cell phone into his pocket. "I feel like an idiot already. She never doesn't pick up—does she?"

Takeru shrugged. "Not really." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Well, I guess sometimes she'd fall off the face of the Earth for a day or so. I'd call twelve times like you just did, and she'd get back to me the next day. She'd say she lost her phone or something like that. I always found it sketchy, but, eh, as the always devoted boyfriend, I chose to believe her."

"I see," Yamato answered, standing.

"Where are you going?"

"To see what's up."

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"Oh, Yamato, how are you darling."

"Fine, Mrs. Yagami, thank you."

"I'm afraid Taichi isn't here right now. He's at Sora's I believe."

"I was actually looking for Hikari."

Yuuko frowned slightly, biting her lip much like Hikari did. "I'm sorry, Yamato, but she isn't feeling well right now. She hasn't left her room all day. I think it would be better if you came back tomorrow."

"I won't be long, I promise."

Hesitating slightly, Yuuko moved aside. "Very well."

The walk through the living room and down the hallway seemed longer than usual, his footsteps seemed heavier, Hikari's bedroom seemed farther away.

The door was just slightly ajar, shedding a thin line of light onto the bed. "Hikari?" Yamato called softly, pushing the door open and flooding the room with light from the hallway. "Are you awake?"

He saw the outline of her back disappear behind her comforter as it was pulled up closer to her throat. She was lying facing the wall, away from him. "What are you doing here?" she whispered after a long silence.

"I've been calling you. A lot," he added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought maybe I'd see you. Your mom said you weren't feeling well. Anything I can do to help?"

"No."

Made speechless by the lack of warmth in her voice, Yamato began to wonder if maybe Hikari didn't want to see him. It would explain why she wasn't answering her phone. He moved into the room, sitting on the bed beside her. "You sure?" he pried, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Hikari stiffened at his touch. "Positive."

"What's wrong," Yamato whispered, worried.

"Nothing."

"There must be some reason you're in bed on such a nice day. Do you have a headache? Fever? Does your stomach hurt?"

"Sure."

"Hikari," Yamato groaned, "why won't you tell me what's wrong?"

"Because you don't really want to know the reason."

Hurt, Yamato drew his hand away from her and let it fall into his lap. "Of course I do."

Hikari shuffled around beside him, pushing back the comforter and sitting up. She drew her knees up, hugging them closely.

Looking over, Yamato saw the tears sliding down her face. "Hikari…"

She sobbed slightly, falling into him as he opened his arms. "Yama," she whimpered, inhaling his scent as he pulled her closer.

"What is it?"

Hikari swallowed thickly. "It's just…I can't always be what people expect me to be. I haven't been the bearer of the Crest of Light for a decade; we haven't even been to the Digital World in years, and yet…everyone still expects me to be this perfect image of light and purity. I feel like I'm not allowed to be sad or miserable. No one wants to see it. But I can't always smile, Yama. I can't always pretend. Sometimes I need to get away so I can pull myself back together, so I can be what people want me to be."

Yamato stroked Hikari's hair, listening intently. She was right; he had always expected her to be the one person to be happy and optimistic no matter what. He had never considered that perhaps she didn't want to be.

"You don't have to be everyone's light all the time," he answered delicately, kissing the top of her head. "We shouldn't expect you to be happy all the time, especially when the rest of us get to be miserable whenever we please. But you just have this thing about you—just being around you makes people feel better. Maybe we should work on making you feel better sometimes. Do you want to go out for ice cream? You love ice cream."

"I look awful," Hikari sniffled.

"You look beautiful," he corrected, his hand trailing down the side of her face and gently cupping her chin. He tilted her head back, leaning in and capturing her lips with his own.

"I suppose some ice cream wouldn't be so bad."

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I feel like my writing isn't improving at all. I feel so amateur.

Anyway, life continues to be drama-ish and miserable. I did turn 18, and have graduated from high school, so there are two yays right there, but otherwise no. I have been working on having a social life, though, which is mostly why I haven't updated.

But I doubt people really want to hear about my ass-tastic life issues. I do hope everyone is having a great life/summer.


	19. Switch

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 19: Switch_

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"I'm telling you Takeru, chicks love American boys because they have accents. We just need to develop really hot accents and we'll be beating them off with sticks."

"Um, Dais, I hate to tell you this, but once you start hitting one with a stick, they'll all run off."

"Don't be a moron; I wasn't being serious about beating them."

Takeru shrugged, "My mistake."

"Now, what do you think? Should I over-accentuate my 'e's? Or maybe—."

"Wow."

"What?"

"Look," Takeru answered, pointing into the coffee shop they were passing.

Daisuke peered into the window, cupping his hands around his face to block the sun out. "What am I looking for? I don't see anything—oh." He drew back, bringing one hand up to rub the back of his neck. "Hika," he whispered, continuing to look in at Hikari and Yamato inside sharing a milkshake.

"It's just so…strange. I used to take Hikari here all the time. It's just—I wonder how many times he was the one out here looking in."

"Eh, Yamato wasn't quite this stalker-ish. I didn't see him out here much."

"Huh?"

"Well it may be strange for you, having switched from the guy-in-there to the guy-out-here, but I've always been here. You can't imagine how many times I've watched you two together, saw you be the one to make her smile that special way. You know, the one that reaches her eyes. It's not fun being the one on the outside looking in."

"I'm sorry, Dais. I actually never really thought of it before now."

"Don't apologize. I'm just happy that I get to see that smile. I mean, I'd love to be the one to make her happy, but the fact that someone is, even though it's not me, I can't complain too much."

"Dais?"

"Yeah?"

"That accent thing; I think you might be on to something."

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Short, yeah, but I think I got the point across??

So who wants to be reviewer number 100? You know you want it to be you.


	20. Time

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 2o: Time_

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Time seemed to be a spiteful and hurtful bastard, pulling people around at the pace he chose, shortening the moments that truly mattered and lengthening those that needn't be there at all.

It seemed like the moments Yamato spent with Hikari were cut in half, so that they were always pulled away from each other far too soon.

And now that it was summer and Hikari was working crazy hours to earn money for the new camera equipment that she was going to need for her photography classes, Yamato was seeing even less of her.

Now that Hikari had decided on majoring in dance (and having a minor in photography) at Tokyo University, she was spending a lot of time working on her routine for auditioning for the classes she wanted to take.

Now that Takeru had gotten into Tokyo University with a basketball scholarship, Hikari was helping him to hone his skills to perfection.

Now that Daisuke had gotten into Tokyo University with a football scholarship, Hikari was making plans to help him with his academics so he could stay at the school.

Now that Taichi was turning his attention to politics and business management, Hikari was helping him out as best she could. Staying up late with him to help him memorize all the American presidents and important world leaders, and making him dinner when he complained of hunger pains.

Now that The Wolves were taking off Yamato had almost twice as many band practices to go to and several shows to prepare for over the summer.

Yamato wondered how often he and Hikari would be able to find time for each other. He wondered if the moments would always speed by when she was around and slow to a halt when she was away.

He wondered if she noticed the way time moved like he did.

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Ugh. Bad job.

Okay, I know no one actually wants to know about what goes down in my life, but I'm going to share anyway. So I've been 'talking' to this guy for a couple months now, we'll call him friend A. Well, friend A seemed to like me, and his friend said he did, but he wasn't saying anything himself. I recently found out that this guy I've known forever, friend B, likes me, and since I figured friend A wasn't really into me, I started 'talking' to him. Then friend A decides to tell me that he really likes me, and I'm like, uh, yea, great timing. But after a few days I realized that friend A was the better of the two, and he is now my boyfriend. Now this is good news, without a doubt, I'm just still miserable for various reasons.

I need a break from my life.


	21. Undercover

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 21: Undercover_

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"Tell me again why you _had_ to get a dorm room?"

"Because, Yama, I want to have the _whole_ college experience. Living away from home is part of it."

"But what if your roommate is a psycho?" Yamato insisted, dropping the cardboard box he'd been carrying down on the uncovered mattress.

"Shh," Hikari gasped, looking around in case her roommate happened to walk in at the exact moment. "Kanami is a sweet girl; I've been talking to her for a couple weeks online."

"She seems sweet," Yamato teased. "But I bet you she'll clip off bits of your hair while you're asleep and try to perform voodoo magic on you."

"Actually voodoo isn't my style. I do hardcore witchcraft." The new voice, a perky little brunette with a box in her arms, shuffled with her belongings to free up her hand. "Kanami," she spoke, awkwardly holding out her hand to shake.

"It's great to meet you!" Hikari gushed, clasping Kanami's hand and flashing Yamato a _pretend to be a gentleman and grab the box from her_ look, to which he quickly complied.

"I'll come help you bring your stuff in; I just finished mine," Hikari offered.

The two girls walked out the door and Yamato reluctantly followed. He wasn't doing any good at hiding his bitterness towards Hikari's decision to live in a dorm. Especially since there were boys living just a little ways down the hall.

Boys walking through the hall.

Boys stopping in the hall.

Boys talking to Hikari in the hall.

Hikari seemed to know one of the two and she was introducing him to Kanami.

Yamato was already angry and in the mood to be irrational. But thinking of what Hikari would do if he started acting like a complete ass kept him from doing so.

He just decided to be a partial ass.

"Hey," Yamato said in a calm, cool voice, draping his arm around Hikari's shoulders and pulling her close to him.

"Oh, Yamato this is Hojo, I met him at orientation a few weeks ago. And this is his roommate Sanji."

"Hey," Yamato repeated, firmly grasping onto Hojo's hand and showing off his strength. His face was neutral, but his eyes flashed a heavy warning.

Hojo, for his own credit, was unaffected. "So Hikari, I remember you mentioning that you wanted to watch a movie that was in English, and I brought with me a copy of _The Princess Bride_ if you're still interested."

Yamato couldn't really focus on the remainder of the conversation and before he knew it Hikari had invited Hojo to her room later that night to watch it. And before his eyes adjusted to normal colors once more and not just a thick shade of red, Yamato had already been ushered off with a quick kiss and a promise to call later.

What made that pig-faced little cretin think that he had the right to hit on Hikari?

Yamato was going to have to do something.

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Yamato knew that he was dealing with an irrational fear. He knew that he was dealing with it irrationally. And yet he couldn't get himself to just turn around and go home. He had to protect Hikari from hormone driven little skeezes, especially this _Hobo_ or whatever his name was.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

The movie was half-way through and Hikari was pleased that she understood most of the movie. Some of the expressions escaped her comprehension, but for the most part it was flowing smoothly.

That was, when she wasn't distracted by talking with Hojo.

Hikari was surprised at how much she liked him; he was funny, smart, and he loved children. He was majoring in childhood education, with a concentration in history should he decide to teach at a higher level. He was honest, and didn't think that holding back would get him anywhere in life. _And he was gorgeous._ His hair was dark and longer like Yamato's, but it framed his face rather than jutting out wherever it pleased. His eyes were a piercing green that Hikari found herself talking about despite her inner decision to remain quiet on the subject. He was tall with a slight build and a general "I know what I'm talking about but I'm not going to be a dick about it" air about him.

"Hikari?"

"Hmm?" she replied, taking her eyes off the screen and smiling lightly at him.

"I'm one of those people who think honesty is the best policy. I don't expect anything to come out of it, but I feel I should tell you something."

"Tell me what?"

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Yamato wasn't sure his plan of action, but he found to his convenience that the door to Hikari's room was slightly ajar. Peeking in ever so slightly, Yamato could see the two of them sitting on the bed talking.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

"I'm not going to lie, Hika, I find you very attractive. It's a little early to say for sure, but I think I have a thing for you. I know you have a boyfriend, and trust me, I'm not trying to mess with that, I just think that's it's important for you to know. I really want us to be good friends."

Hikari sat silent for a moment, her bottom lip set firmly between her teeth. "I appreciate you telling me," she began, "and as long as you're okay with just being friends, then I think that would be great."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Yamato had expected to see him hitting on Hikari on this stupid undercover mission, but he hadn't expected Hobo to go right out and say it. He was furious and upset and yet seeing Hikari turn Hobo down made him feel a little better.

Guilt filled his body, and it only made him want to hit Hobo more for making him crazy.

He let out a sigh.

"Yamato?!"

_Oh shit._

Hikari was up on her feet in an instant, pulling the door completely open. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

Yamato's eyes fell helplessly on Hojo, wishing to make the boy disappear.

Hikari suddenly understood. "You were spying on me," she whispered, a mix of sadness and anger in her voice.

"No, I, I mean, yea, but no—."

"Yamato, just go," she said in a low, steady voice. "Please just go."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

So I've had my breakdown and now I'm working on climbing out of this massive pit I've fallen into. But on the bright side, I am now at college and everyone is completely amazing. I think I'm going to love it here. And I'm not having much trouble meeting/talking to boys, which I was quite afraid I wouldn't be able to do, but I'm having an issue trying to figure out if this one guy actually likes me or is just flirty. Just what I need, yea?

In some more uplifting news, this little drabble collection won in the first annual Digimon Fanfiction Awards for Best Drabble Collection.


	22. Valiant

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 22: Valiant _

_… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … _

It had been a week.

Seven days.

One hundred sixty-eight hours.

Ten thousand eighty minutes.

"Do you have a minute?"

"Of course," he answered, falling in step with her as she led them to the picnic table on the grass. He coughed nervously before sitting down beside her. "I've been meaning to call you."

"I'm sure you have," she answered softly.

The lack of emotion in her voice made him wince. "Hikari—."

"Hojo has been asking about you. Keeps wondering why you haven't left seventy-two messages on my phone or showed up at my door at least once."

Yamato swallowed loudly. "I've been—."

"Busy?"

"No."

"Uninterested?"

"No."

"You spent the week in a hospital?"

"No."

"Then why haven't you called!" she demanded suddenly, getting on her feet and turning towards him. "Why don't you _trust _me?"

"What? Of course I trust you! It's that Hobo I don't trust."

"No, it's me. You should trust me to be able to handle myself around a guy. I see fan girls throw themselves at you all the time, but I trust _you_ to make the right decision. Neither of us can do anything about what other people feel about us, but since we're apparently in a relationship, I would think that we would go about it properly."

"Hikari, I—."

"And on top of that, you act like a total…jerkface!"

Yamato couldn't help but smile. She was too damn cute for her own good. "I was a jerkface. And I was embarrassed. And I didn't call because I spent the entire week trying to rationalize why I acted like that. And do you want to know what I came up with?"

"What?" Hikari replied, still fuming.

Yamato took a deep breath, preparing to make a valiant statement. "You drive me crazy, Hika. And I figured out that it's because I'm in love with you."

"You?"

"Yes."

"Me?"

"Yes indeed."

Hikari stood silent for a minute, her gaze at the ground. "You're still a jerkface," she whispered, smiling.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Yamato answered, pulling her against him and kissing her forehead. "But I'm your jerkface, and hopefully we can keep it that way."

"That depends on one thing."

"Anything."

"Call me tonight."

_… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …_

So college had basically saved my life. I have awesome friends, I have a decent guy situation going on (we aren't together, but it seems to be heading that way), and I can pretty much do whatever I want whenever I want. I still have moments where depression hits me, but I am more than surviving, especially compared to how things were before.

And I realize how much of a loser I am for not posting much. I had intended to spend my winter break writing, but I got a job…so yea.

But yay for me not failing at life here!


	23. Woot

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 23: Woot_

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"Take that! And that! And ha! You're dead!"

"Not fair, Taichi. You can't pull my controller out of the system and then proceed to throttle me."

Taichi frowned. "Why not?" he demanded, watching his character do victory back flips over Yamato's unconscious character.

"Because," Yamato answered, leaning forward and plugging his controller back in, "that's not how we do things."

"Fine, fine," Taichi whined.

"Yama, Tai, I made cookies. Do you want any?"

"Yes. Just give me a minute to wipe the floor with Yamato's golden locks."

Hikari smiled softly to herself and leaned against the doorframe to watch the final battle. Taichi had some impressive moves, but Yamato was far superior at kicking ass at the game.

"Yes!" Yamato shouted obnoxiously, jumping to his feet and doing a victory dance. "And that is how you _destroy_ your opponent! Woot!"

Taichi eyed Yamato darkly. "What did you say?"

"I destroyed you."

"No. After that."

"Woot?" Yamato said, unsure.

"Yes. I cannot believe you uttered that foul word in front of me. It's woo; everyone knows that."

"Woot!" Yamato repeated defensively.

"Woo!" Taichi shouted, standing and throwing the controller on the couch.

"Woot!"

"Woo!"

"Woot!"

"Woo!"

"Woot!"

"Say it again and I'll no longer find you a suitable boyfriend for Hikari…"

"Woooooo!" Yamato shouted instantly. "Woo, woo, woo!"

Taichi smirked, "I should use that more often."

Hikari couldn't help but smile and walk away shaking her head.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

So this drabble was semi-derived from real events. Once I sat down to write W this was all I could come up with. Short, simple, real drabble. So my boyfriend started reading some of my work and found my amazingly pathetic little author's notes to be highly entertaining. Or something like that. He's adorable, a really great guy, but seems to think that because I wrote a drabble entitled "Bad Boys" that I want one. Other than that he's amazing.

And also, I've been working on the next chapters for RotK and Innocence Lost so one of those should be up soonish.


	24. Xenophobe

Yakari Drabbles

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 24: Xenophobe _

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"You're kidding me."

"Would you stop making a big deal out of this?"

"How can I, that's the craziest thing I have ever heard of."

"Just drop it."

"Can't."

"Why?"

"Because, Yama, it's cute when you get all worked up like this. Besides, you're being ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous? _Me_? Are you serious right now?"

"Yama, how are you going to be a world famous musician, travel the world to play your gigs? You'll have to stop being such a xenophobe."

Yamato shook his head, prompting golden locks to fall around his eyes. Hikari leaned in to push them away, but Yamato grabbed her, pulling her into his lap. "One, you'll be with me when I travel the world so you can save me from this evil when the time comes; two, what kind of language did you just swear at me in?"

A small laugh escaped from Hikari's mouth. "Oh Yamato," she giggled, locking her hands around the back of his neck, "you are silly. I said xenophobe, it means you fear strange customs."

"I do not fear strange customs!" Yamato retorted. "Have you had my father's cooking?! I just don't care for _this_."

"You haven't tried it."

"…So?"

"You might love it."

"It doesn't make sense to me."

"Just try it."

"Fine, but only for you."

Hikari smiled and kissed her boyfriend's cheek. "Thank you."

Bunching up his nose, Yamato grabbed the source of agitation from the table. "Here goes," he murmured, ripping off the top. He tilted his head back and let the contents fill his mouth. After a few seconds his expression softened. "Okay, maybe I was being ridiculous; it wasn't horrible."

"See, Yama, no one hates pixi sticks."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Um, so, yea, 'X' is not the easiest to prompt now is it? Well, it's an update at least. I miss writing, I should do it more.


	25. Young

Yakari drabbles

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 25: Young_

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"No way, absolutely not."

"Listen to yourself, Yama, don't you think you're being a little unreasonable."

"Hell no! I think I'm being quite generous. I should kick his scrawny ass for even thinking such things."

"Yamato, calm down—."

"How can I calm down?! This is the most absurd thing I've ever heard! How are you okay with this? How are you supporting this?"

"Because he likes her, and I want him to be happy."

"He can be happy with another freshman. There's at least two thousand at that damn university!"

"Yama, she's only—."

"Freakishly deformed, I know, it's disgusting. You just want me to be supportive because you think we have to after I stole you from him."

"Yamato!"

Yamato paused, heaving a deep breath. He was perhaps getting himself worked up a little too much, maybe going too far, but there was no way to help it. The very _idea_ made him want to have an aneurism. "I'm sorry, maybe that was a little much."

"Ya think?" Hikari glared. "Can you just calm down so we can talk about this like adults?"

"I, yes…maybe," Yamato grinned, taking the opportunity to distract her from his ill-placed comment a moment ago, puckering his lips in an obnoxious, but cute nonetheless, sort of way.

Hikari smiled and happily leaned forward, cupping her delicate hands around Yamato's face and kissing him. "It's not fair that you're this cute."

Yamato grinned. "Okay, I'm calm, I promise."

Shaking her head, Hikari tried to mask her smile. "Alright, good, then we can talk. Now her name is Sahori, she's an international relations major, and she knows three and a half languages, working on French as we speak. She has two younger siblings, a brother and a sister, and her favorite color is lavender."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I may have had lunch with Takeru yesterday."

"Hikari!"

"I thought you were calm," she reminded him sternly.

"I am calm! I just didn't think you would go off supporting this nonsense until after we discussed it!"

"Yama, I'm supporting Takeru whether or not you come to your senses. He deserves to be happy." Hikari paused, waiting for a rebuttal. Receiving none, she continued. "Sahori wants to work in a job that involves using English a lot, maybe a government position. Hmm, what else did he tell me?"

"Did he mention that she's _three years older than him??_!!" Yamato demanded, forgetting he was calm completely.

Hikari stared blankly at him. "Is that what this is about? You don't like her because she's older than him?"

"It might have something to do with it," he muttered.

"Yamato, do you realize that you're three years older than me?"

His eyes widened, and his teeth sunk into his lip. "Well, I, yes, I'm aware of it, but I guess I—."

"How can you condone dating someone three years apart from yourself and try and forbid Takeru from doing the same?!"

"Well, I, um, that is, he's too young," Yamato sighed. "Maybe I was overreacting."

Hikari only answered him with a _sometimes-you-are-an-idiot_ face.

"Maybe I'll call Takeru and tell him that I was being a little crazy."

"That's probably a brilliant idea, Yamato."

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

One more to go!! And unless I lose track of time, like I do kind of a lot, it'll be up by next weekend. I already have the idea loosely planned out.


	26. Zenith

_**Yakari Drabbles**_

_Prompt 26: Zenith_

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The brunette leaned against the short brick wall where she could look over the entire campus. Camera in hand, she took a few shots of the sunset, admiring the shaded sky and the shadows that settled over the academic buildings. Pausing to brush a few strands of hair from her forehead, she sighed contently.

Hikari set the camera down and cupped her face in her hands. The approaching night brought an approaching chill in the air, but she had no desire to leave the beautiful scene. Her eyes darted from the color of the sky to a couple walking hand-in-hand along the path below her.

Smiling, Hikari picked the camera back up and took a picture of the couple, focusing on the entwined fingers. It made her think of how Yamato would grab onto her hand as it swung towards him, and how he would make it so both her arms would be moving forward or backward in synch just to get her to fight him to get her arms opposite, always threatening to let go, but never doing it.

Yamato had been her boyfriend for two years now. Two years that seemed to pass in the span of one week. Two years where every day she would think that she had experienced the happiest day of her life, only to be proven wrong the next day.

Hikari glanced back up at the sky, lost in day dreams. She thought of how one day she would be in a white dress, walking down the aisle to the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. Taichi would have recently given a string of death threats along with his support to Yamato while he fixed Yama's tie. Yamato never was any good with ties. Her parents would be sitting in the front; her mother would be silently bawling her eyes out, crushing her husband's hand she was squeezing so hard. Hikari's mother was a wreck at weddings.

She imagined when Yamato would get his big break, and they would travel the world together, spending a romantic night in Rome and taking in all the sights. She would take pictures of everything and put together little scrap books of all their travels.

They would climb and climb until they reached their zenith, and little Yamaki would be born. He would have his father's eyes and his mother's nose, his father's charisma and his mother's mystery. Yamaki would be their pride and joy, a token of their love. He would grow up in a loving family, with uncle's that spoiled him and an extended family that had once saved the world. Maybe someday he would have the chance to see the Digital World and meet Tailmon and Gabumon. Maybe he would have a Digimon of his own.

A shiver ran through Hikari. She blinked, realizing that the sun was almost beyond the horizon.

"Hika?" Hikari started to turn, but Yamato's warm arms had already begun to wrap around her. "I was wondering where you were, I stopped by but Kanami said you went out taking pictures a couple hours ago."

She nodded, leaning into Yamato's body, taking in the warmth. "I got distracted by the sunset; I guess I lost track of time."

"Did you get a good shot?"

"I think so."

Yamato smiled and settled his head on top of Hikari's. "Marry me," he whispered softly.

"Of course," she responded, the way she always did when he said things like that.

"No, I mean marry me," he said, his voice stronger.

Hikari felt as Yamato dropped his arm down, reaching into his pocket. A small box appeared in his hand and he held it in front of her to see.

"Yama…" she whispered, gently taking the box and turning to face him. "Is this…"

"Open it."

Hikari opened the box to see a diamond engagement ring shining back at her. "Yama," she breathed, her voice drowned by emotion. "I…yes!"

Yamato threw his arms around her and kissed her passionately. Taking the ring, he got down on his knee and placed it on her finger.

… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …

Well, I have to write two papers and prepare for two tests this upcoming week, which is of course why I chose to update now.

This is it. The end of the alphabet. Done. I'm marking this as complete (but if I ever have the urge to Drabble about Yakari, I'll stick it in here).

I think the final chapter deserves a review ;)


End file.
